With seconds remaining in the Boston Celtics‘ 119-114 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday, Anfernee Simons stepped to the line and calmly knocked down two free throws to seal the victory and run his point total to 39 — a Celtics record for scoring off the bench in a road game, and his highest scoring game with the franchise.
Simons, who was traded to the Celtics over the summer in the Jrue Holiday deal, has been the subject of trade rumors for as long as he’s been with Boston. And his scoring outburst to power the Celtics’ 19-point comeback win showed why he’s one of the most intriguing players heading into the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
The Celtics entered Thursday’s contest in Miami on a two-game losing streak and quickly fell behind by double digits. They were still down by 15 late in the third quarter, and seemed on their way to a third consecutive defeat. Simons had other ideas.
Simons had a five-point burst late in the third to cut the deficit to 10 entering the fourth, then took over the final frame. During a five-minute stretch, he either scored or assisted on 17 consecutive points for the Celtics, including a step-back 3-pointer that put them back in front for good.
The Heat tried an array of defenders, but none had an answer for Simons, who was creating offense so easily that Jaylen Brown spent much of the fourth quarter standing in the corner. Just look at some of these moves.
Simons got off to an inconsistent start with the Celtics, but he’s been much better lately as he’s gotten more comfortable in their system. In January, he’s averaging 18.3 points and 3.6 assists on 49% shooting from the field and 51.6% from 3-point range.
Though Simons spent the last four seasons as a starter with the Trail Blazers, the last few weeks have shown that he may be best suited to a bench role. When he gets going, there are few better microwave scorers in the league.
Why would the Celtics want to trade Simons?
Simons has an expiring contract worth $27.6 million, which makes him a perfect trade candidate, especially for a Celtics team that needs a big man after losing Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet last summer. Per Jake Fischer, the Celtics “have indeed been monitoring the big man market for potential trade options for some time.”
In addition, moving Simons could help the Celtics shed even more money from their books. While their offseason moves got them under the dreaded second apron of the luxury tax, sending out Simons could get them under the first apron or even the luxury tax line altogether. (They’re about $4 million over the first apron and $12 million over the tax line.)
If the Celtics are uninterested in re-signing Simons this summer, or expect to be priced out, moving him at the deadline could net them a contributor for the future and/or significant savings. Here’s Fischer again:
“One well-placed observer whispered this week that the Celtics’ deadline business — whether they trade for a big man or not and how significant the trade is — should serve as a useful hint about their plans for an in-season comeback from Jayson Tatum.”
There is still no timeline for Tatum’s return from a torn Achilles tendon, but the six-time All-Star told Chris Haynes last month that he plans to play this season. If Tatum does return, even in a limited role, the Celtics wouldn’t have as much use for Simons.
Simons’ big contract will limit the Celtics’ options for dealing him away, but there are plenty of teams that would be interested in him, whether it’s as a bench scorer or as a potential lead guard for the future. While he’s been in the league for a while now, he’s still only 26 years old.
The case for keeping Simons
No one will be all that surprised if the Celtics trade Simons, and if the team was having the season everyone expected, he would almost certainly be gone. But after beating the Heat they are 25-15 as the mid-point approaches and tied for second place in the Eastern Conference with the New York Knicks.
Trading Simons to upgrade the frontcourt would be one thing, but with the team looking like a real contender in the East it would be hard to justify dumping his salary, especially with how important he’s become lately.
The Celtics are now 4-0 when Simons scores at least 25 points and 6-1 when he gets to 20 points. If you zoom out even further, they’re 13-5 when he hits 15 points and 8-10 when he does not. As awesome as Jaylen Brown has been, the team still needs a secondary scorer. When Simons provides that boost, they usually win.
“I’m a big fan, I like him a lot,” Celtics president Brad Stevens said of Simons last month. “He’s a quiet guy, but just a super person, and so he’s really come in with a great mindset: ‘I’m going to help the team any way I can.’ And offensively, he knows he’s capable of going nuts in any given game.”
Throughout the Celtics’ run as contenders, they’ve largely lacked a player like Simons — an ultra-quick guard who can easily beat his man on the perimeter, get into the lane and break down a defense. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard offer some of that, but neither is as quick or athletic as Simons. Having him come playoff time would give their offense another dimension.
The Celtics would have less need for Simons if Tatum comes back, but having Simons’ firepower alongside two All-NBA talents rather than just one would be an incredible luxury. Small lineups with Simons, White, Tatum and Brown would be a nightmare for opposing defenses. It would be worth keeping Simons just to see what he looks like with that group.
It’s also worth noting that keeping Simons through the end of the season doesn’t guarantee that he’ll walk for nothing in free agency. They could re-sign him to a more team-friendly deal or possibly sign-and-trade him in the summer. Furthermore, if he leaves in free agency that could open up the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, per Keith Smith, which would help them add someone else.
Celtics in a great spot either way
The great news for Stevens, Joe Mazzulla and everyone else in Boston is that they’re in a win-win situation thanks to how well they’ve played this season and Simons’ recent hot streak.
If they trade Simons for a big man they’ll bolster their frontcourt — which, with respect to Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, remains their biggest weakness — and possibly save money in the process. If they keep Simons, they’ll have one of the league’s best bench scorers for at least the rest of the season.
Whatever happens, Simons and the Celtics are going to be one of the most fascinating teams to watch ahead of the deadline and beyond.
